To increase transparency, credibility and fairness across the whole supply chain, you need to guarantee that there has been no changes to the food shipment all the way back to the point of origin – the farmer.
Now UCC Coffee has partnered with coffee traceability platform farmer connect, to guarantee that the coffee you are enjoying this morning actually came from where it says on the package.
The Japanese independent coffee company is the fifth largest coffee roaster globally, responsible for over £2bn of annual sales.
Powered by IBM Blockchain, retailers and consumers can now trace Orang Utan Coffee — licensed and distributed in the UK by UCC — back to its Indonesian origin using Farmer Connect’s Thank My Farmer.
The Farmer Connect platform is designed to helps build farm-to-consumer trust by providing detailed information about where the product has been sourced.
IBM is an early member of Hyperledger, an open-source collaboration created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies.
Thank My Farmer’ humanises the supply chain for coffee and connects consumers with the farmers that grow Orang Utan Coffee.
They can learn more about the Indonesian origin of their coffee and the projects underway to support its coffee-producing communities, by scanning the QR code on the coffee bag.
Thank My Farmer also gives consumers the opportunity to become advocates for the coffee producers with shareable social media content and to support the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, through optional donations via their credit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay.
Senior green coffee buyer at UCC Coffee and blockchain project leader Miguel Reguera said: “The global coffee supply chain is complex, and many people do not realise the different stages their coffee goes through before its final brewing. By using Farmer Connect’s products, UCC is simplifying this complexity; by providing accessible, understandable and validated data uploaded at every stage of the Orang Utan Coffee journey.”
Research from the IBM Institute for Business Value has found that, for consumers who say sustainability is very important, 71% surveyed are willing to pay a premium for sustainable and environmentally responsible brands
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of where their products come from, and whether the producer of their foods are being paid a fair wage. Being able to be part of the supply chain from origin can empower consumers to make the right decision for them.
From crop to cup, knowing where your coffee has come from and where it has been on its journey to you could help you do your bit to save the planet.